Heads up, Berkeley: If you’re craving a hot dog on Northside, Top Dog is no longer your main squeeze. Don’t let the Top Dog sign and familiar ownership fool you. The management has opted for a new format: pizza and even a new name: Pizzahhh.

So why this change in its Northside location?

According to Tom, the head pizza-maker, Northside is not poppin’ like it used to back when the location opened up in 1968. Back then, Northside was all the rage with record shops, a theater and music venues. Now, you only venture there if you live in a co-op or need to visit Copy Central. Because there weren’t that many people coming through this side of town, the owners thought to try something different, and apparently they are already profiting from this marketing change.

We’re not really sure why there is this sudden explosion of pizza places around (didn’t Sliver open, like, two seconds ago?), but we’re not complaining. Tom did mention that Pizzahhh can throw a chopped-up dog on a pizza for you, though.

Anyway, Tom went back East to learn the zen of thin-crust pizza and now is ready to serve it up to lost Berkeley kids wandering around Northside.

Don’t fret too much if you are still looking for a hot dog; the other two Berkeley Top Dog locations on Southside and Downtown are still in it for the long run, and you can still grab a dog at the football stadium this fall.

Now we just want to know if Pizzahhh will be serving them up above the student section once football starts.

Image source: Chase Schweitzer, The Daily Californian